The Other Man
by Siriusly Orion Wicked
Summary: When Hermione brings her new boyfriend to a Sunday dinner at The Burrow for the first time, she figures a lot of things can go wrong, and yet... she couldn't have predicted all that followed when her boyfriend met her ex, Charlie. HG/CW, HG/?
1. Hermione

**AN:Yes, I know. Another one.**

 **I'm actually posting this because the lovely Jencala asked me to do so ages ago.**

 **I'm in search for betas, once more, seeing as I've been MIA for longer than I've wanted. Trying to get back into it, and with a couple of those, it would be easier. None of my stories are abandoned, so… yeah.**

 **Anyway, Jen, this is for you.**

 **Siriusly Wicked**

 _..._

 _It's just dinner_ , she told herself. _There's no need to panic, they love you and they want you to be happy._

Now, while that was a logical thought, being logical wasn't necessarily what the Weasleys were known for. She was going to bring her new boyfriend to the Burrow tonight.

Her _non-Weasley_ boyfriend.

Alright, so maybe he wasn't her _new_ boyfriend, but she had yet to make their relationship public. She knew what the papers would say, and frankly she couldn't quite bring herself to care. However, if the press found out, then so would her magical family, and they were an entirely different matter.

They still harboured hope she'd get back together with Charlie, even though they'd broken up two years ago. She knew Molly thought they were going to get married because Char hadn't managed to stay with the same woman for more than three months before her, let alone three years. Frankly she had thought so too, but things hadn't quite worked out the way they had both hoped they would.

She knew Ron was going to lose it, without a doubt. Not because they had dated for a week and a half after the war, but because he knew the man. He had met him and he hated him even though he didn't even know him.

"Should I be worried you're going to leave me if they don't approve?" Her boyfriend came from behind her, hugging her to his chest in an attempt at being supportive. "I had planned on being myself tonight, but if our future is at risk I'll be happy to pretend to be someone else." She knew he was joking, at least half-joking, but she couldn't help the groan that escaped her.

"I don't want you to be anything but yourself." And it was true, she wanted him to be able to be himself with her friends and family. "It wouldn't hurt if you toned it down a tad, though. Specially around Ron," she let out a soft laugh at that.

"I am nothing if not tactful... when I want to be." It was a good thing he amended the statement, she wouldn't have been able to let it go without one clever remark or another.

"Good save," she said with smile. He had a truly remarkable way of making her at ease when she was stressed, which had never been an easy feat. In fact, Charlie had been the only one to manage it before him. No use thinking about that, however.

"It'll be fine. I'll be my most charming self, they'll be weary of me and ask questions they think will make me uncomfortable and I'll answer them calmly, which in turn will make them more tense." He kissed the side of her head and tightened his grip on her.

"Someone will make an attempt at a scathing comment about me being a Slytherin and I'll simply say that I managed to slither into your heart, for which it suited me just fine, and hopefully they'll laugh and drop the subject." He ended his little speech by turning her around and kissing her softly on the lips.

That was most definitely _not_ how it was going to go down. She knew it and he knew it, but for the time being it was more helpful to dream of an ideal scenario than think about how wrong things could go tonight.

"Let's hope that's how it goes."

"Is that what you hope for? Don't you care what they might… I know they're not your friends nor I delude myself into thinking you think they'll ever be that, but don't you care what they think of you? That… That they think of you as the enemy, a traitor?" Her voice had grown small, not wanting to actually say the words out loud.

"Is that what _you_ think?" She shook her head softly, almost dazed into silence by the expression of pure openness in his face. "Then I couldn't care less. I owe them no explanations just as they don't owe any to me. I gave mine to the Wizengamot at the appropriate time, and I gave them once more when I started having feelings for you." His reply was simple, but it reached every part of her.

"I know I shouldn't care, that it doesn't bother you, but it bothers _me_. I want them to like you, you're an amazing man and I want to share that with them. I want them to be happy for me, to understand that I have something incredible and it should be cause for celebration. I wish they'd understand." Her mood was turning somber but she couldn't help herself.

They wouldn't understand. Especially Molly Weasley.

"They won't make me leave. No matter what they say or for how long, the only way I'll ever let you go is if you ask me to, alright?" He grabbed her face and looked straight into her eyes, honesty shining through every word. "No matter what anyone says, I'm yours if you want me."

They had yet to say I love you, but everything else they had shared or said was just shy of those three words. She looked him in the eye and said it in her mind, she repeated the words in her head willing him to listen to what she could not say out loud just yet.

 _I love you. I love you. I love you._

"Let's go. I don't want us to be late on top of everything else. I have a feeling I'll be blamed for anything that can be misconstrued as an offence on your part." He grabbed her hand and pulled her to the Floo, gave her one last kiss and with a green _whoosh_ , they were gone.

...

 **AAN: People are always asking me to rec stories and all I have to say is: Kittenshift17.**

 **She is my most recent obsession. Seriously, all I've read I love and I've read almost all of it. She got me reading Dramione and she isn't Shadukiam. That's a feat in and ofitself. Sirimione. Remione. Time Travel. Multiple pairings. SiReMione. Charmione. Fremione. There's sooo much to pick from. Can't say I've read the Death Eater pairing but if you're into that, then surely you're in for a treat.**

 **Enjoy, no need to thank me.**


	2. Charlie

**AN: Thank you guys so much! You're reviews give new life to my writing and fuel my fingers. I love the guessing game haha. Feel free to look me up on Tumblr, I love a chat and adding new humans to my collection.**

 **I've got this until chapter 7 and after that I'm not so sure how often I'll update.**

 **Love ya all.**

 **Siriusly Wicked**

...

"I just don't understand the mystery! Why doesn't she just come out and say who she's dating if she's not ashamed of him? Why all the secrecy!? I'm telling you, I don't like it!" Molly half shouted while she finished dinner.

Charlie was already tired of listening to his mother go on and on about Hermione's new secret boyfriend. He still had mixed feeling about their break up and while he was mostly responsible for it, Hermione hadn't exactly come back to fight for their relationship.

"Hermione has never been ashamed of her choices, mum. I doubt very much it has anything to do with her feelings for him and everything to do with how we might feel about him." And he knew it was true, whoever was about to walk through the Floo with her, was sure to have her affection if she was bringing him to The Burrow.

Especially if she knew _he_ would be there.

"I still don't like it, Charlie. She shouldn't be bringing anyone for Sunday dinner knowing you're home. It's in very poor taste, indeed." His mother was a fiercely loving woman but she tended to be very irrational when it came to her children.

"It's been two years, mum. I was the one who ended things, she shouldn't shy from bringing however many dates she likes." It was mostly the truth, in the sense that he had been the one to break up with Hermione and that she shouldn't hesitate from bringing her dates with her.

However, it was certainly misleading to say it in that context quite like that. It implied that he was over her. Charlie hadn't really meant to break up with the brunette when they started arguing that night. But that was neither here nor there.

"Still, for all I know I might be opening my house to Draco Malfoy tonight! How very inappropriate that would be. I shudder just to think about it." The woman was nothing if not dramatic, so she gave a very exaggerated, and very fake, shudder as she picked up a wooden spoon to taste the sauce that was reducing in the pan.

"I can't really see Hermione dating Draco Malfoy of all people." He had to give a chuckle to his mother's overactive imagination. While it gave no credit to the woman, it did make her an incredibly creative person. He certainly wouldn't have been able to come up with such an unlikely pairing on his own.

The Weasley matriarch, however, took his soft laughter as approval and kept going, thinking of even less plausible pairing choices for the young witch. It was no surprise to Charlie that he grew tired of thinking about Hermione with other men, however mismatched, very quickly.

"Alright, mum. I think that's enough." Without saying more he left the kitchen to find his older brother. Bill always understood what he needed even before he knew he had a need for it.

"Got an earful, did ya? That's why I stayed clear of the kitchen." Bill had two glasses of Firewhiskey in his hands and handed one to him.

"I always forget how she gets until it's too late. Not that I know how I even forget that sort of thing. Must have been one to many tails to the head." He was stalling, he knew. Bill was having none of it, though.

"How are you feeling about seeing her? It's been a while, hasn't it?" Always straight to the point, his brother. _Fucker._

"Yeah, about a year and a half. It wasn't my finest moment." Charlie hoped he would drop it, he didn't feel like talking about the love of his life, who incidentally was about to bring her new boyfriend to meet his family.

"If I recall correctly, she wasn't exactly the sweet princess everyone thinks she is either." Bill was trying to help, trying to force him to face the issue, to let him see some flaws in her, but it was useless.

"I just don't feel like seeing her today, but if I leave it'll cause more of a ruckus in the house than she deserves." He drowned his drink in one go, thinking he would need to feel more at ease before she arrived.

"Then don't. You're a Gryffindor, for fucks sake. If you wanted her back you had plenty of chances, plenty of time." His brother was always reminding him of his misgivings, mainly to keep him on track, but at times like these Charlie just wanted to whack him in the face.

"It's not that I want to get back together with her…" Charlie started, but at the Cursebreaker's look of ' _Who are you trying to fool?'_ he had to backtrack.

"Fine. It is not _not_ that either, but that's not the main problem." He sighed. "She reminds me of everything I could have had, had I removed my head from my arse. She's my worst mistake walking and talking about with my family. She is the proof that I chose my pride before my happiness." His heartfelt confession was a hard one to make but he had to say it outloud, maybe that way he could get over her.

"We all make mistakes, Char. The question is, have you grown because of them?" Bill gave him a piercing look, the kind he usually reserved for other people, and simply walked away leaving him to his thoughts.

Charlie was about to walk away when the Floo sprang to life and let in the very woman he was trying to get out of his thoughts. Behind her was a very well dressed wizard, green scarf and fine black tailored robes, the very picture of a Slytherin edition of _Witch Weekly_. Not that he knew what that looked like.

 _Oh_ , he thought.

The witch in question was dusting the burnt Floo powder off of her clothing before she looked up and locked eyes with him. The world stopped for him, perhaps for a second, perhaps for a whole hour, the result was the same.

His whole body reacted to seeing her in the flesh. Hermione was right there in front of him, for the first time in longer than he would have cared for. His heart took a hiatus, his lungs seemed to contract and his body temperature dropped significantly at the mere sight of her.

They stared at each other for a long moment before her eyes broke away, looking behind her to find her boyfriends hand to hold between her own.

This wasn't going to end well.

Then all his organs went back into full gear, his heart slammed into his chest, his lungs expanded painfully quickly and his stomach did a strange pirouette that felt like it ended in grave injury. It was one thing to know she was with someone else, it was another thing entirely to watch her, to see her hold on to someone else's arm.

A Chinese Fireball would be gentler than this.

He felt like he was going to be sick and the night hadn't even begun.

 **AN: Today's Rec is The Winding Road by erm31323. WIP Remione ftw.**


	3. Theo

**AN: To the 49 Followers, 12 Reviewers and 16 Favourites, you are all gems. Thank you so much.**

 **Enough with the torture, right?**

 **Siriusly Wicked**

..

"She deserves better than you, you know?"

The unbearable woman had finally managed to corner him, after several failed attempts throughout the night, and probably thought that would be a nice opener.

"I do know that, actually." He kept his tone neutral. He knew his calmness irked the fiery matriarch and if she was set on making him uncomfortable, he wasn't going to make it easy for her.

"Then why not let her go? Let her be happy!" Her face was growing redder by the seconds, clearly not used to the indifference of her opinion.

"As far as I know, and I know this because she has told me, _I_ make her happy," He replied simply.

"That's because she's had your relationship in a bubble. What do you think will happen when this goes public? Do you imagine the public will be thrilled to learn that the Golden Girl is dating a Death Eater?" He had to admit her snarking was impressive for a Gryffindor.

He didn't bother correcting her about status, never having taken the mark, despite his father's wishes.

"I imagine she'll do what she wants, regardless of what the public makes of her choices."

"And her family? We are all she has in this world now, you know? Do you think you'll ever fit in, that we will ever approve?" The attack was progressively growing louder and he wanted it to stop before Hermione took notice.

"Do not confuse me for a man who will give up his happiness for something as petty as approval." He finally regarded her with the full weight of his stoic stare. At Mrs. Weasley's indignant sputter he interrupted quickly.

"Don't misunderstand me, I would very much prefer it if you happened to approve, or simply let Hermione know that you won't object. However, if you don't, I have no intention of giving up the witch. I am hers for as long as she'll have me and nothing you say will persuade me otherwise."

The conversation was over; he had nothing else to add. He decided to avoid further confrontation by looking for the witch in question. As aloof as he tried to come across, he was worried now. The rest of the Weasley clan had treated him with a modicum of civility, with the exception of Ronald, who insisted on throwing glares his way every few minutes.

However, what had really sparkled his curiosity, was the undivided attention Charlie Weasley was paying him that night. Before, during, and after dinner, the redhead seemed to have his sole focus on him. The Tamer hadn't been rude at any moment but there was something in his eyes that unsettled him.

The eldest Weasley had been paying close attention too, thought he had been more subtle about it. William, he believed, seemed most interested in his interaction with Hermione. He could feel the weight of his eyes whenever he would lean close to whisper something in her ear, or when he held her hand in his.

Potter had been the most pleasant of all, to his surprise. There were no glares or scathing comments coming from The Boy Who Lived. Truth be told, if anyone in that room had a right to hate him, other than Hermione that was, for his past behaviour, it was him. And yet, the green-eyed-man seemed to have left it all behind him. Potter seemed very interested in what he had made of his life after the war. He was the only one to ask any questions about his present life, as well as some about his future.

The search for his girlfriend was proving to be harder than anticipated, as she could not be found in the living room, dining room or kitchen. He was headed outside when he paused in his tracks when he heard his name in a conversation, coming from the yard.

"Theodore is an interesting choice." The voice belonged to William, if he wasn't mistaken, and seeing as he and Hermione were the only two missing from the gathering inside, she was the recipient of the comment.

"He's a good man, Bill. I'm… very fond of him." Theo knew that she loved him, he could see it in her eyes but she had yet to say it. He had fallen in love with her after their second date, already halfway there before she even agreed to go out with him. Hermione knew, though, there had been no need for him to say it and furthermore, Theo didn't want to scare her off by saying something she was clearly not ready to hear.

"That's an interesting choice of words."

"You seem to find everything about tonight very interesting."

"You know what's also interesting? How quiet Charlie has been. That's been very strange, don't you think?"

Theo was missing something. There were very strange looks being exchanged all over the table during dinner.

"Don't even go there, Bill. He's over me, I'm over him. It's been two years for Merlin's sake, I had hoped that by now the rest of you would stop expecting us to get back together." Hermione sounded exasperated, but underneath he could hear something else. Something that sounded much like nervousness, uneasiness.

"I think you should speak for yourself."

"Oh, and I suppose _Charlie_ asked you to say this? Yes, this is very much like him. Sending messages through his brothers to confess his hidden feelings for me." She scoffed and he could hear the reprimand and sarcasm in her words.

"His feelings for you have never been hidden but if you'd like to go with denial, I suppose that's fine." Theo could almost hear the smile on the redhead. William was trying to rile her up, for some reason.

"I think your family, particularly you, Ginny and Mrs Weasley are the ones in denial! _He_ broke up with _me_! How's that for denial? If he had wanted to be with me, he would be. So, just save your fantasies about making me a Weasley to yourself, yeah?" William had managed to get under her skin, Theo could hear the annoyance in her voice.

He tried his best not to let it get to him, that she had been in a relationship with someone that was clearly more suited for her. The idiot, however, had been stupid enough to let her go, so they couldn't have been all that suited, nor Charlie Weasley all that smart.

"We're all allowed a single day of stupidity, don't you think? After three years of relationship, don't you think you owe him that?" It seemed the elder Weasley agreed with Theo's inner thoughts, in that Charlie had been stupid to break up with someone like Hermione Granger.

"True, a single day is not a crime."

There was a pause and Theo could feel himself drowning in apprehension. Three years. They had been together for three years. Could William talk her into rethinking her relationship with him?

"But what about the days that followed, or the years? It stops being the stupidity of a single day when you renew it every day thereafter." The sadness in her voice made something inside Theo clench painfully. Did his girlfriend still have feelings for her ex?

"I think neither of you knew how to take it back. You can't say you fought for him."

"And why, exactly, would I fight for someone who didn't want me? I did that once. Before Charlie I dated someone who clearly didn't appreciate me and I… I made a lot of mistakes. I won't ever make them again. I know my worth, Bill, and I won't accept anything less than what I deserve."

"And is Nott what you deserve?" Theo held his breath involuntarily.

"He doesn't think so, but he is. I think the war and all that came after warped his perception of his self worth but he is… magnificent, even if he doesn't see it." The knot in Theo's throat was a clear sign of a coming cold.

"I won't disagree with you. You are, after all, the brightest witch of our age."

"Of my age! Professor Lupin only said of my age, not _the_ age!"

"I'll stick to mine, if it's all the same to you." Theo could hear movement so he retreated quickly behind the door. "You know I only want what's best for you, right? I agree that you are the person best equipped to decide what that is… despite what my mother thinks."

Theo could hear them laughing softly and decided to move to a less unsuspecting place when he almost ran into Charlie Weasley.

"I suppose I shouldn't expect anything else from a Slytherin, but you'll find that spying on her never goes down very well."

Before Theo could come up with a reply, the Tamer had walked out in the direction of his brother and his ex-girlfriend. Theo could hear him speak from where he was.

"Hermione, can I have a word?"

 **AN: Today's rec is The Gnarled Tree of Time by Silk Lily. Sirimione WIP. Now, I love this fresh take on it and I ship them so badly. And by them I mean this Hermione and this Sirius… seriously.**

 **It's stories like this that make me want to say 'Fuck it' and post all the time turner stories I have gathering cyber dust. I mean, I want to play too!**


	4. Bill

**AN: Thank you guys so much for your reviews! I love to hear your thoughts and I loove your reactions. I'm having trouble with the reply links, for some reason though.**

 **Once again, if anyone is interested in doing Beta work, please let me know!**

 **Siriusly Wicked**

...

Bill was surprised. He didn't think Charlie would have the courage to actually come find Hermione and ask to talk to her. Not tonight.

She seemed equally stunned, given the muted version of himself his brother had portrayed all night. That had been odd in and of itself.

Hermione looked like a deer that was pointed at with a Lumus. It took a long moment for her to open her mouth to reply.

"I —"

"There you are, love. I've been looking all over for you." Theodore certainly had impeccable timing. Then again, Slytherins always seemed to lurk out at the least convenient moment.

Bill thought he caught a look of brief fury on Charlie's face before he quickly composed himself.

"I'm sorry I left you alone, I was having a quick chat with Bill." By now Theo had made his way to her side and was holding her hand like a lifeline.

"I'm sure he already knew that," Charlie mumbled and by the strange look Hermione gave him, Bill was sure that she had heard him too.

It was smart. Interrupting right then and there was the only move of a man who had nothing to win from a heart-to-heart between his girlfriend and her ex. If Bill wasn't pulling for Charlie he would feel bad for the bloke. He certainly had competition.

The relationship the two had shared was something unlike anything he had ever seen in. Charlie was always reserved with women, aloof, even. Hermione had gotten under his skin so slowly that his brother hadn't even known what hit him. By the time he noticed he was already in the middle and was complaining to his older brother. In the beginning, the Tamer had been worried about Ron's reaction and dating someone younger. It took very little effort on Bill's part to help him get over that.

And poor Hermione hadn't even noticed that after three months of doing research in Romania, she had completely bewitched the most elusive Weasley. It had taken Charlie another month to get Hermione to notice that he was flirting with her and another couple of weeks for her to believe that he meant it.

After that, it just seemed to work. She had stayed, which only made the Reserve absurdly happy and the couple had clicked with more ease than anyone in the family could have hoped for. Ron had been surprised but supportive. Their youngest brother had done his due diligence as best friend and had threatened Charlie that he would have a difficulty walking if he hurt Hermione and then had nothing else to say on the matter.

Bill knew very little about what had actually happened that broke down the couple. He knew she had been unfair in her expectations of Charlie at some point but the Tamer was so protective of her that he censured himself even when talking to Bill about her misgivings. And one day, out of the blue, Hermione was suddenly back in England, working as an Unspeakable and it was over between them.

He was sure that what Charlie had needed to get his head out of his arse was to simply lay eyes on the witch. Though he hadn't said it in the past two years, Bill knew that Charlie had never stopped being in love with Hermione. Bill wasn't even sure why he had broken it off with her in the first place. Chances were that Charlie didn't know either.

"I can manage on my own but I much prefer your company," Theo said smoothly.

If Theo's face looked neutral, almost indifferent despite his words, Hermione's face instantly turned from confused to adoring in a second. She looked up to her new boyfriend and feeling her movement he also angled his face towards her to place a kiss in the corner of her mouth.

If Bill hadn't known better, he would have said that it looked sweet. However, given the context, the cursebreaker knew this was all for Charlie's benefit.

"Has anyone attacked you yet?" Hermione asked him with a smile, all unease seemingly having left her body.

"Oi! We're a good lot, us Weasleys!" He said, jokingly defending his family's honor but knowing the question had merit.

"A good lot of overprotective if lovable gits, is what you are!" Hermione countered.

It was times like this when Bill cursed Charlie for having broken it off with the girl. Merlin, was she a perfect fit for his family! Maybe if he hadn't met Fleur when he did, he would have spotted the gem of a witch that she was. How his relationship with Fleur had gone down the drain precisely because she went as well with his family as water with did with oil, was another thing entirely. As it was, though, she was Charlie's girl and he was only sorry that his brother was in pain at seeing her with someone else.

"I won't defend us against such reasonable charges, I concede!" He said with a smile.

Hermione nodded, reasserting what they all knew: She was always right. The brunette then looked at her boyfriend waiting for an answer to her question.

"I can survive a few Gryffindors glares. I'm not even sure they qualify as glares as it is." The self-satisfied smirk on his face should have gotten on Bills nerve, but he found it amusing. He wasn't entirely displeased with the way the man treated Hermione. Theo seemed to genuinely care for her.

"I find it hard to believe that nobody has jumped you. Especially after I left you to your own devices."

The witch certainly knew her people. Bill was sure the minute Hermione walked off either Ron or his mom had gone for the jugular. Theo appeared to be contemplating saying something.

Charlie had remained quiet throughout, and much like he had done during dinner, he simply assessed the competition.

"I had an... _interesting_ conversation with the Matriarch of the house," Theo admitted after a moment.

"Oh, I knew it! I shouldn't have left you there as easy prey, I'm so sorry!" The apologetic tone of her voice made the neutral expression in his face break once more and an easy smile replaced it.

"I survived." Theo held her to his chest then and looked at Charlie straight in the eye as he said, "It'll take a lot more to scare me away from you, love."

...

 **AN: AN: Today's Rec is Encore Ch8 by Synoir. It's a Sirimione WIP that I find really intriguing.**


	5. Harry

**AN: I loved the heated reactions to last chapter! Thank you all so much for your comments. 3 Hope you enjoy this one too.**

 **Siriusly Wicked**

...

"Everyone is pulling for Charlie," he told Hermione when the Slytherin finally went to the bathroom. Did snakes have bigger bladders or something?

"What do you mean ' _Everyone is pulling for Charlie_ '?" she asked indignantly.

"I mean everyone is hoping, and judging by the ring of Weasleys around the twins, also betting on you getting back together with him," he explained.

"So, the day I decide to bring my boyfriend, the man I've been dating for the past six months, is the day they all decide that I'm going to marry my ex, who incidentally broke up with me and I haven't even seen in a year and a half," she complained heartedly. It was funny seeing Hermione so out of sorts, huffing and puffing like a tiny but wild-haired wolf.

"You need to stop saying that," said his girlfriend, who appeared out of thin air.

"Saying what?" Hermione asked curiously.

"That _Charlie_ was the one that broke up with _you_. It gives them hope," said Ginny.

Hermione seemed to understand her point, her eyes widened and she went deep in thought. Harry needed more information.

"How does that give anyone hope?"

"It implies that the only reason they are not together is because _he_ doesn't want to, or that they would still be together if he hadn't." Ginny gave him a look and said, "Do you really not see how that could mean she still has feelings for him?"

"But I don't! I really don't. I'll admit it took me about a century to get over it but _I did_ and I've no need to revisit old relationships," complained Hermione.

"That's all well and good, but most people here only see and hear what they want to hear. Mom won't let it go until you marry that Slytherin of yours. Anything before the bonding is fair game to her," warned Ginny.

Harry heard more than saw the groan that came out of Hermione, and really, knowing her as he did, there was no need to see her to know exactly the facial expression that came along with it.

"I don't even know if I _want_ to get married!" exclaimed Hermione.

"You don't?" came a surprised question from behind them.

Theo looked like a nice bloke, despite who he frequented at school, but most Slytherins had radically changed their attitude and posture once they were free of their parents. Quite a lot of the older generation had been sent to Azkaban, be it by being directly associated with Voldemort or having indirectly aided the Death Eaters in some way or another.

Harry, however, would never get used to the uncanny timing and... _slithering_ , for a lack of a better word, way they interacted with other people. It was just unnerving.

Hermione was startled, logically, and probably a little shocked that apparently, she was going to have _that_ conversation with her boyfriend in The Burrow of all places.

"Uhmm, I'm not entirely sure… ? " By the end, it certainly sounded more like a question than a statement. Theo's face remained impassive but if Harry knew anything about purebloods, was that marriage was non-negotiable.

"I didn't know you felt that way," was Theo's sole response.

"Well, it's not like we've really discussed it." Hermione looked like she'd been trapped in an invisible box full of equally invisible Flobberworms. Harry couldn't help but be extremely entertained by the sight. Getting Hermione completely out of sorts was no easy feat, but today, it had only taken a single Slytherin talking about marriage for her to lose all faculty of speech.

Ginny, always brilliant in his book, cleared her throat and saved his best friend from complete humiliation and troubling waters.

"Yeah, I'm not particularly interested in bonding myself to _anyone_ for the rest of my life either," she exclaimed.

He had been in the middle of taking a sip of his drink when apparently the liquid decided to stay in the middle of his trachea longer than it had been invited. Fighting a coughing fit, Harry tried his best to appear nonchalant at the new information. He could sympathise better with Theo now, as he too had been in the dark about his girlfriend's stance on marriage. He had gone from laughing at the man to being in the same position as him.

Of course, he hadn't brought it up to Ginny yet, but he had been thinking about it for a while and he thought she knew what his intentions were. Harry always talked about the importance of family and how he wanted to have a big family and Ginny appeared in agreement.

Did she want to have children _out of wedlock_?

If she did, Merlin help him because Mrs. Weasley would have him hanged by the bollocks. The matriarch had been talking about their wedding since the day she saw them holding hands for the first time! And he would face her fury if that's what Ginny wanted, Harry wouldn't exchange his future with her for anything but—

"Harry!" Apparently Ginny had called for him several times already. "I said, we're going to the kitchen to get me another drink." She gave him that _look_ that always spoke trouble and that generally speaking meant _move and don't ask any questions_.

So, that's what he did.

Somewhere in his brain, he registered that he was leaving Hermione in the fray, but at that precise moment his brain was completely overworked and taken over by sheer panic.

What the fuck was going on with his girlfriend and since when had she felt that way? Was it possible that he had missed something? Well, more than possible, it was _probable_ , given that he always seemed to be oblivious whenever it mattered.

Still, Ginny not wanting to get married was something _huge!_ How did he not know this before then? What would Mr. Weasley say? _What would Ron say?_

Harry felt lightheaded. _It's probably because I'm hyperventilating_ , he thought among another thousand other things that were going a hundred miles an hour in his brain.

He felt a couple of warm hands surround his face and Ginny's face suddenly came into focus.

"Harry, breathe," she commanded.

Oh, so he was probably lightheaded because of a _lack_ of oxygen, as opposed to an excess of it. He nodded his head absently.

"I do want to get married, whenever you're ready," she told him as she looked at him straight in the eye.

Harry felt himself take a big breath of air and went woozy for a second before he was hugging her almost painfully.

"Why would you do that to me?" he asked, pained and confused.

"I had to support Hermione in some way. He's a Slytherin in a Gryffindor household. This way maybe he'll think it's a Gryffindor thing instead of a Hermione commitment issue sort of thing." Ginny's voice was completely muffled by his embrace but she made no move to remove herself from it.

"Oh, thank Merlin! I was already imagining how we were going to tear this family apart one illegitimate child at a time." A shudder went through him and Ginny felt it too if her strangled laughter was anything to go by.

"You'll be fine, Potter," she said. Harry could hear the smile in her voice.

In that moment he felt so full of love for the woman he held in his arms that Harry completely forgot about his best friend, and the predicament he had left her in.

...

 **AN: Today's Rec is Magnetic Ch21 by Beawitch, another Sirimione WIP. Enjoy!**


	6. Charlie II

**AN: Thank you all for your support, I love reading your thoughts and comments!**

...

"I don't even know if I _want_ to get married!" exclaimed Hermione.

Without even meaning to, the declaration triggered a memory that came searing through his mind.

" _I can't believe you'd even ask!"_

" _So, you're telling me there's nothing I can do change your mind? You've made this decision, unilaterally and I'm supposed to just what, accept it?"_

" _You're supposed to understand that I shouldn't have to choose between my career and the love of my life!"_

" _But that's exactly what you're asking_ me _to do!"_

" _That's not true! You can be a Tamer in Wales. I can't be an Unspeakable for the Romanian Ministry. Their equivalent to the Department of Mysteries is so far behind I couldn't even be bothered with it."_

" _Exactly!_ You _could be the person to bring it forward, you could change_ everything _around here and actually make a difference."_

 _There was an eerie silence after that. That was_ not _what Charlie had meant but he immediately knew what it had sounded like._

" _Yes, I wouldn't want to keep doing the useless research that has no bearing on the world at all, now, would I?"_

" _I just meant-"_

" _Too bad I didn't decide to try to manhandle fire-breathing iguanas the size of a small building! I mean, that,_ that _has to be the most useful job in the world!"_

" _Now, wait just a-"_

" _If my research pulls through I could change the very way you perform magic! But no, I ought to help a different Ministry to the one promising all the resources and funding to do what I dream of doing, so that I can stay close to my_ boyfriend!"

 _The woman could let out a complete argument in a single breath. It was incredibly annoying as it impeded his ability to get a single word in._

" _Oh, so I'm back to just being the boyfriend! The very inconvenient baggage of the brightest witch of our age! Just admit you agree with the papers and say to my face that you think I'm a waste of your brilliance. It all goes over my head anyway, doesn't it?"_

" _I will do no such thing! You can say that as many times as you like but it won't make it true. You're being ridiculous."_

 _Charlie tried to ignore all that noise about them being wrong for each other, he really did. Mainly because they fit so perfectly together that it was simply preposterous. They disproved it every time they debated over the uses of dragon blood or talked about her latest project or made love. And yet… there were other times when he wondered why she bothered with him._

" _Of course I am! My puny brain can't possibly follow your flawless reasoning here. Let's take a perfectly happy couple and separate them, probably for good, and see what happens."_

" _My life can't revolve around a relationship, Charlie!"_

" _You didn't even think to ask what I thought, Hermione! We've built a life together here and you made this decision alone! I suppose it's good to know now and not later that between your career and me, I would most definitely not come out as the victor."_

" _I didn't know it was an either-or choice! You're asking me to give up my vocation for you. Can't you see how unfair you're being? I would never ask you to give up Taming for me!"_

 _At that moment, Charlie wished she had. If she had asked, then it would have meant she loved him more than she cared about propriety or fairness… like he loved her. He knew that even if she stayed she would grow to resent him but he couldn't help himself. It felt like dying. The idea of her leaving felt like the end of his life as he knew it and he was_ happy _._

" _I want to have an occupation that challenges me and inspires me to be more than I am. I have no interest in re-doing what others have already done before me. I will not apologise for having ambitions beyond being someone's girlfriend."_

 _The calm, calculating manner in which she spoke told him exactly how livid she was. It was a rare occurrence, to drive Hermione to a cold fury. He had only managed it once before and Charlie didn't care to relive that particular conversation. However, it didn't escape him that she'd used the word 'girlfriend' as opposed to 'wife', as if that was all she would ever be to him._

The word brought him back to the present. He found himself eavesdropping again but he couldn't seem to help it, tonight. To be fair, he had only meant to go to the loo.

"I don't follow," came Theo's voice from the corridor. Clearly, Charlie had missed part of the conversation.

"I… in the muggle world marriage is a very different thing." Hermione sounded very cautious, she was clearly measuring her words carefully.

"I imagine a great many deal of things are very different."

"Don't be an arse. I just… marrying someone in the muggle world has the same legal consequences as in ours but, obviously, since they don't have magic, the bonding is not literal." Hermione sounded so uncertain it almost felt like an entirely different person was speaking.

There was silence for a moment and Charlie was probably as confused as Theo. So far, Hermione had described very obvious things and had yet to get to the problem. It was odd that he'd be getting the answer to this question in this way. He had wondered for over a year about it. Why was it that Hermione was so against marriage?

"Ugh, it's very hard to explain." The frustration in her voice was endearing, Charlie had to fight a wave of… affection at the sound. It was so very much like Hermione to get frustrated when unable to properly explain something.

Theo remained quiet.

"That was the notion of marriage I grew up with, alright? Magical bonding feels… even after all these years of being in the magical world, I find I'm still having a difficulty with the concept," she finished tentatively.

"You're not keen on the bonding," Theo repeated calmly.

"I'm… It's literally tying yourself to another human being. It's renouncing your existence as an individual… forever."

"And you don't find the notion romantic at all? To be one with the one you love for the rest of your life?"

"No! I'm rather fond of having a choice!" she replied irritatedly. It was clear that his neutral tone was getting on her nerves.

"Nobody forces anyone into a bonding these days, you have a choice."

"Yes, but people change. Take us, for instance. This relationship would have never been possible some years ago but here we are. But just as people change for good, some people take a turn for the worst."

"So, your idea of marriage is 'Yes, so long as you remain the same'?"

"No! People also need to grow and- Ugh, I'm mucking this up."

There was another pause and it took all of Charlie's self-control not to barge in and demand to know if this was why she had left him. He had been an arse and said things he didn't mean. He knew that. But until that moment, Charlie had been sure she had left because how that horrid conversation had ended.

"I'm saying a magical bonding leaves no room to choose to remain with your partner every day. In a muggle marriage, you either grow together or grow apart. It's sad when it happens and sometimes there's no way to see it coming, but… if it doesn't work, people can choose to get a divorce." She was using her lecturing voice but in a guarded manner Charlie had never heard before.

"What's a divorce?"

"It's the dissolution of a marriage."

Even though he was by himself, Charlie had to hide his shock at the notion. There was no such thing as a _divorce_ in their world. For all intents and purposes a bonding _blended_ the magic of two magical being together, from which there was no possible dissolution. If _he_ was shocked, Charlie could hardly imagine what was going through Theo's head.

"I—"

"Hermione, dear! I was just about to send a search party. I need you to talk to Arthur. He's got it in his head that we need a muggle thing, some _blender_ thing, he calls it."

"He's not the only one to call it that, Mrs. Weasley."

As their voices grew fainter, Charlie wondered what would have happened if they'd stayed together. For the first time since the breakup, he wondered if it hadn't saved him a world of pain as he thought of the ring that was still somewhere in their flat in Romania.

...

AN: Today's Rec is Pax Matrum by loubug14. It's a Hermione centric multi WIP. I have to day, tho, it's beyond amazing. There are great Marriage law stories out there but I think this is the best reasoning for and most believable plot for it that I've ever encountered. Enjoy!


	7. Hermione II

**AN: I love all your comments! Can't wait for you guys to read this one haha. Team Theo o Team Charlie?**

...

One.

She needed _one thing_ to go right tonight.

How had things gotten so out of control? The universe was conspiring against her, she was sure. There could be no other possible explanation.

In any case, Theo seemed… troubled. Clearly, the marriage conversation had happened entirely too early. They were barely six months in, for Merlin's sake!

"I see you managed to survive," came a voice from behind her.

She'd squirmed away to the bathroom moments earlier. Mrs. Weasley had started singing Harry's praise for the war effort, stating some Slytherins just needed vanquishing.

"It's not over yet."

"That's true. There's still plenty of time for something to go horribly wrong," he said.

"I fear it already has," she mumbled to herself.

Charlie must have followed her. Purposefully. It was odd, being in his presence after so long. His rugged looks were the same, his eyes still carried that sparkle that often appeared in her dreams. Perhaps she had needed this closure. Maybe after today she wouldn't dream of him again.

"I don't know if I should fight for you," came his sudden declaration.

To say that Hermione was shocked was more than an understatement.

"Charlie…"

"No, look, I thought you left because you didn't want to marry _me_ , alright? I didn't know you didn't want to get married _to anyone_." At that, Hermione paused.

"Why would you think that?" she asked genuinely astounded.

"You… That night you said something that made me think that… I thought... I thought you'd found the ring. I thought you were trying to break things off because you found the ring and you didn't want to marry me. I thought that's why you'd accepted the job without talking to me first and you were hoping the distance would kill us before I could ask."

Of all the things she expected him to say, that wasn't it.

And just like that, all her thoughts on their break up for the last two years were shattered. All she thought she knew, what she thought had happened, came crashing down in her head because she believed him.

"There was a ring?" was all she managed to croak out.

"There is a ring, yes."

 _Is_.

Her brain was going a thousand miles an hour and she couldn't quite come to terms with how things were unfolding.

"If you wanted to marry me, be _bonded_ to me, why is this the first time we've seen each other since we broke up?" It seemed she still needed some answers. She couldn't help herself. She hoped this was the part of her that couldn't stand not knowing all the answers.

"Why would I fight for someone who I thought didn't want me?" To hear her own words being thrown back at her was more than she could take.

No. This wasn't possible. She hadn't nursed a broken heart for a year and a half because of something as _ridiculous_ as a _misunderstanding_. It couldn't be.

"No, Charlie, you don't get to do this. _You_ broke up with _me_. _You_ gave me an ultimatum. _You_ thought that threatening me by holding my happiness for ransom was the way to get me to stay and you thought _wrong_. You don't get to pin this on me!"

"I thought- "

"I don't care what you thought! I gave you absolutely no reason to doubt me! I was ready to spend the rest of my life with you even if I had no intention to be bonded to you and you felt it appropriate to think in my stead instead of _asking me_. What the fuck is wrong with you?" He made to interrupt her now, clearly getting upset too.

"No, you know what, I don't care. You made your choices for whatever reasons you thought were valid and now that I'm with someone else you don't get to come along and drop a bomb on my happiness. _Again_." He stopped trying to interrupt at that, which gave her a chance to take a breath.

She hadn't noticed before, but the silence that followed told her that she had been shouting and that the occupants of the living room had very likely listened to the whole conversation. Great.

" _I lov_ -loved you and we were happy, and the one time I needed you to bet on me, on _us_ , you doubted my love for you when I never, _never_ , gave you a reason to do so. Now you have to live with that."

As Hermione walked away as fast as she could she hoped he hadn't noticed what she had almost said. The tense she had almost used. She would have to revise her own thought on that later.

As she came into view, everyone pretended to be doing something else and feign some conversation or another. The brunette couldn't be bothered to play along. She went to Theo's side and without a glance towards him, she dragged him to face Molly.

"Mrs. Weasley, I thank you for a lovely evening but we really must be going. The food was amazing," she said as calmly as she could.

"Oh, won't you stay for a while longer? Just for tea." For all that she was trying to hide it, Molly was a bundle of nerves and kept looking from behind her to her in rapid succession.

"I need to be up very early tomorrow morning and I'm already dreadfully tired, but we appreciate your warm hospitality," said Theo without missing a beat. "I thank you all for welcoming me into your home."

Molly pursed her lips but said nothing more.

They said a general good-bye and without another glance at Charlie, they left for her flat.

After a few minutes of their arrival, the removing of the coats and the preparation of a kettle of fresh tea, the silence was truly weighing in on her. She knew that Theo was vastly more prepared and used to the tense silence on a regular basis with his peers and family. Hermione, on the other hand, was absurdly uncomfortable. Her skin almost itched from the uneasiness that kept rolling around inside her.

She didn't know if he was being silent because of the fiasco that had been their conversation about marriage or the argument she'd had with Charlie.

"Theo- "

"Should I be worried?" he asked immediately.

Her heart melted and almost burst at the same time.

"No, of course, not." Hermione hoped her eyes were communicating the love that she felt for him. She didn't know why, but still, she couldn't say it. Even now.

"Good."

Suddenly Theo surrounded her and held her tightly, lovingly. She couldn't have been more content after such a strange night.

"But, Hermione…"

Her heart stopped and she was all apprehension and dread.

"If for any reason you find that you no longer feel the same, that you wish to spend your time with someone else… please, tell me." His head was buried in her hair, so she couldn't see his face, but the earnestness in his voice almost broke her heart. "Because, unless you tell me, I won't know when to walk away. It _won't_ be me that'll walk away."

...

 **AN: Today's Rec is Chemistry & Timing by TheBookBully** **. This is an amazing story. A Remione, a finished one for a change, but really… you're in for an amazing ride.**


	8. Theo II

Growing up he believed tration was everything.

It was of the utmost importance to be proper. To do his duty.

His group of friends had never talked about it, but it was generally agreed that they shared their parents positions on most things. Some were... slightly more zealous in their way of going about things than others, true, but generally speaking, there was never a question about their position.

Eleven years of no one and nothing to contest his beliefs.

Everyone around him shared his father's views, and all the adults he knew and respected did so too. Not one person in his social environment had anything to say that wasn't in consonance to everything he had heard since he was born.

He had never really stopped to question if he actually believed the things his father taught him. It wasn't his place. But more than that, there was the fact that he had no reason to doubt his word, his knowledge or his wisdom.

When his father spoke at parties or events, mosts adults that surrounded him nodded slowly in agreement or listened intently. Wealthy, well connected, well bred people stopped to listen when his father spoke.

There was simply no reason to think he was wrong about anything… other than how many sweets he should or shouldn't partake in.

And then September the first of his eleventh year on Earth came upon him.

Most of the people in his House weren't unknown to him. Social awareness was, after all, part of his upbringing. Always know who's the most influential person in the room, who he is speaking to, and to make it his business to be a part of that conversation.

And yet, the dynamics between the Houses seemed to change everything.

Suddenly, the percentage of people around him that believed what his father believed decreased dramatically. Even more so for the number of adults that shared his views.

They were a minority now.

While the self-examination process began almost immediately after this realisation, it took a few years for it to bear any results. The doubts didn't present themselves immediately. After all, there was that lingering thought that if everyone he ever knew held certain beliefs, it had to be for a reason, right? And more so, how can so many well educated, intelligent, successful and wellbred people be so wrong? How could they _all_ be wrong?

But then there was Hermione Granger.

The tiny witch couldn't have known it at the time, but she was living proof, walking evidence, that his father was wrong.

She single-handedly shattered the belief system he had been taught simply by being herself, for, if that system stood true, she wouldn't exist. She shouldn't be possible.

And yet she outperformed Draco, Blaise and himself at every turn. Them, who had grown up around magic, knowing of its existence and having access to impossible to find books and exceptional tutelage before attending Hogwarts.

They just couldn't possibly be right.

There was no Universe in which they were right and someone like Hermione Granger existed. If one premise stood true then the other had to be categorically and unequivocally false.

And there was no doubt in his mind ghat magic came more naturally to Hermione Granger than breathing to any other human being.

So he acted as was expected, but soon enough, his personal beliefs and conviction, were no longer in agreement with that of his peers or his father.

By the time he was out of Hogwarts, it didn't matter. His father was in Azkaban and despite his name and all that had happened, he had been accepted into the Department of Mysteries.

He was to be an Unspeakable.

It was years before Theo would call Hermione a colleague and even more months before she would actually agree to go for a coffee. He could tell she had no idea he had meant to ask her on a date, but he would keep asking until she did.

She was astonishing. It was clear to Theo that it had never occured to the woman how truly exceptional she was.

It took four coffee outings for her to figure out that he might possibly be asking as more than a polite coworker might. So he asked her to dinner, trying to let her know that indeed, he was interested in more.

She said no the first time, something was clearly going through her head a thousand miles an hour. However, the very next day she had walked into his office and informed him they would be going to dinner at eight. And not a minute after.

He chose to reward her by not fighting the smile that threatened to overtake his face. Had he been around his Slytherin friends he would have feigned indifference and simply nodded. She seemed surprised and then pleased, and left without a word.

By date two, Theo was irreparably taken with her. There was no way she could have known how often she had featured in his ponderings through the years, but now that he had access to her in a more personal context he realised she was also intoxicating.

And so, now that he feared he could lose her, every neuron in his brain was working overtime to find a way to keep her forever.

There were two major hurdles in front of him. Charlie Weasley and Marriage.

He couldn't have anticipated either problem had he tried.

He supposed the most pressing one, and the more irreparable one, was one Charlie Weasley. If he didn't deal with him sooner rather than later, there would be no point in worrying about Hermione's views on marriage.

Which was why, he almost caused his witch to choke to death with with a breadstick, when he voiced those very thoughts during breakfast the next day.

"I've been pondering on a couple of issues," he started. "Should I be more concerned about the fact that you're still in love with the Dragon Tamer or the fact that you feel that marrying me would strip you from your liberty and individuality as a witch?" He asked casually before taking a sip of his wine.

The coughing fit that followed, while not fully unexpected, hadn't really been planned. Shocking her and catching her off guard, he found, was the fastest and most effective way to obtain an unrefined reaction out of her. She was getting better at guarding herself from those very verbal offensive strategies, but she hadn't impoved such that Theo couldn't get what he wanted.

It took her a few long moments to recover but once she did, she didn't look like she had a better answer just because oxygen could now freely reach her brain.

 _Lovely._

"I think Weasley is the most immediate problem," he continued. "For two reasons, really. The first being that, by no accident, you neglected to tell me you'd been in a serious relationship with him for three years not long before we started seeing each other. The second being that you have strong feelings for him, as recent as today."

The nonchalant way he spoke was clearly making her uncomfortable and it gave him confidence in his approach to the subject.

"Theo…" she started after a moment.

"I'm not sure, though," he interrupted "what the better strategy would be. Or further more, I'm doubtful of having the means to do anything about either issue."

He stared at her straight in the eye then. Theo hoped against all hope that the woman could see, that she knew, that she-

"I love you, Hermione."

The statement lingered in the air for a moment. Neither of them was breathing.

But Theo knew she wasn't ready yet.

"I know you love me too, even if you won't say it. And I understand, I'm in no hurry. Unlike you, I've no doubts my feelings for you will remain no matter who you grow to be, so I'm certain I'll be here if that changes."

A pregnant pause followed and he tried very hard not to read too much into it.

"Unless… you decide it's him you want to say it to."

"Those are two very different and unrelated issues," she replied very calmly.

"So there _are_ two issues," he caught.

"That's not what I meant and you know it. I won't let you put words in my mouth especially when they're based on unwarranted insecurities." He could tell she was growing aggravated.

"I would hardly call them unwarranted."

Not for the first time Theo wondered if this relationship was doomed from the start.

"Hermione, you neglected to share with me you had a very serious relationship, with no small amount of effort on your part. I've been under the impression that you've lived in London since the end of the war," he tried to explain calmly.

"Yes but—"

"Imagine our roles were to be reversed. Knowing what you know, having lived that relationship, would you not feel somewhat upset, worried if you were me?"

Hermione bit her lip and looked away, unable to overcome his reasoning.

"So, once again, should I be worried?"

"I don't know yet," she said in what felt like a soft confession.

"Then I suggest you find out and let me know."

…

 **AN: Today's rec is another heart shattering one because apparently I love well written pain-shots. I already rec her as an author, oldie but one of the best in my book,** _ **atruwriter**_ **and the story happens to be a one-shot Fremione called** _ **Just in case**_ **. My heart still aches. Enjoy.**


End file.
